Ten found guilty of digital abuse directed at Brigitte Macron

A court in Paris has ruled against ten people for perpetrating the online harassment of Brigitte Macron, the spouse of France's leader, Emmanuel Macron.

The those on trial faced charges of circulating fabrications regarding her sex and sexual orientation, in addition to publishing hurtful comments about the pair's significant age difference.

The court handed down suspended jail terms of up to eight months to the perpetrators. The full ruling has yet to be released.

A circulating conspiracy theory claiming that Brigitte Macron is a transgender woman has spread widely since her husband's initial election in 2017.

This latest legal outcome in France comes as the Macrons pursuing a legal action for defamation in the United States of America against right-wing influencer Candace Owens, who has repeatedly shared comparable unfounded claims about the French president's wife's gender.

Their complaint contends that Owens disregarded substantial counter-evidence contradicting her allegations opting to amplify the voices of notorious conspiracy peddlers.

Owens has frequently reiterated these allegations on her show and social media channels, and in March 2024 declared that she would stake her entire professional reputation on her conviction that Mrs. Macron was born a man.

Brigitte Macron first met her now-husband when she was a teacher at his secondary school.

The two married in 2007, when the future French president was 29 and she was 54.